Monday, September 14, 2015

Council candidate Eduardo Gonzalez, 'Do the developer deal'

The Carmelo Ticket fifth ward council candidate Eduardo Gonzalez asks the City Council to do a developer deal for BASF's six acres and reveals knowledge about confidential negotiations

'Do the developer deal!' Where has Hoboken heard that one before?

In the decades leading up to its current popularity as a developer destination, Mile Square development - through the mid-eighties arson induced murders killing dozens of residents, mostly women and children - to the broken promises to build a swimming pool or tennis and parking at the site of the litigated Monarch Project site; Hoboken has seen more than its share of broken developer promises and tears.

So when Eduardo Gonzalez, the Carmelo Ticket's fifth ward choice for Hoboken City Council made his recent pitch, the question immediately arose - who is spilling their guts about confidential negotiations going on between the City of Hoboken and international corporation BASF?

At the last City Council meeting, Eduardo Gonazalez the former Hoboken Housing Commissioner and steadfast vote for all things Carmelo Garcia arose in public portion to raise the idea of a developer trade.

According to Gonzalez, BASF which hold the last six contiguous acres in northwest Hoboken for both a large-scale public space and potential municipal parking garage, the cost of eminent domain and any resulting litigation expending and adding to the city's bonding totals of approximately $140 million is wasteful.

All fair game. What Gonzalez raised next however made eyebrows lift and question who is again leaking information on confidential negotiations between the City and BASF?

"From my understanding, BASF offered to donate the four acre main parcel at no cost to the Hoboken taxpayers in exchange for zoning relief for the remaining two acres..."

The reaction by Councilman Dave Mello was immediate raising concern on how Gonzalez would obtain confidential information? With the tens of thousands of emails obtained in Bajardi v Pincus, numerous discussions showed the Old Guard and its City Council political operatives regularly taking confidential information from the administration and using it for political operations.

MSV confirms as much with Grafix Avenger and showed the ties between the Old Guard council and the leaks which were coordinated for propaganda purposes on Hoboken411.

After Councilman Dave Mello raised the red flag, an eerie silence came over the remaining members and not a word from the usual leading suspects: Theresa "I hit the wrong button" Castellano, Michael Russo or Beth Mason.

The issue was overlooked for obvious political reason in the weekend paper, the pro-developer pro-Old Guard and anti-Reform rag Hudson Reporter. In an email exchange, Gonzalez attributed the information to "gossip."

Following this questionable revelation, Elysian Charter held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week to celebrate its new location uptown. Gonzalez who sits atop its board is seen by some angry parents as responsible for inviting and giving a political speaker's platform to the Carmelo Ticket head in Carmelo Garcia who is considered a gasbag and shady by many.

While Gonzalez denies he's the culprit, Councilwoman Jen Giattino who is an Elysian Parent is said not to have even been invited to either the event or as a speaker even as all her children have attended the school for years.

Election season has officially begun in Hoboken and six ward council seats across the Mile Square are up for grabs along with the legislative majority.

Talking Ed Note: Word about town suggest Carmelo Garcia, a lame duck one-term Assemblyman is using his printer to issue "proclamations" to whoever he can in his bid to strip Councilwoman Jen Giattino of the sixth ward council seat.

In addition to Elysian receiving a "proclamation" by Garcia, notable and venerable other institutions such as a local bar in the sixth ward also make the cut. Next on the Garcia proclamation parade list, two guys who live around the block from him who are proclaimed "two sexy for their shirts."